December Book Report

Well, the end of the year has come and gone, and I've finally caught up on all my December reviews. And, wow - look at these totals!

Books Read - 11
Books Read To Date - 145
Total Pages Read - 54,994
Favorite Book of the Month - Under the Never Sky (Under the Never Sky #1)

I've read so many great books in 2012, and I've tried to be very judicious in handing out 5-star ratings. I wanted to make sure that those books that achieved the highest echelon of praise really deserved it.  Under the Never Sky definitely deserved it. The characters were colorful, the world was damaged and beautiful, the story was captivating. I'm so glad I read this book this year. I re-read several books this year, so my total is actually 154 books for the year, and my word count is actually closer to 58,000. I'm so proud of me!

November Book Report

November was a big book month. There were a bunch of new releases that I had been eagerly anticipating for months. Plus, I kept stoking the fire of my new urban fantasy obsession. It's been a fun month.

Books Read - 13
Books Read To Date - 134
Total Pages Read - 50,626
Favorite Book of the Month - Twice Bitten (Chicagoland Vampires #3)

I read the first four Chicagoland Vampires books in November, and of them, the third one was my favorite. It was all about Gabriel Keene and the shifters and their tense relationship with the vampires. I absolutely loved those leather-wearing, meat-loving, scary-looking dudes. It was also about Merit and Ethan and their tense relationship. Twice Bitten was the best, because when it was good, it was very, very good. And, when it was bad (and I don't mean that the book was bad, but rather the situations in the book took a bad turn), it was very, very bad. This is the book in which I laughed and I cried and I got pissed and I was deliriously happy. I loved it.

October Book Report

October was a bit of a slow month for me, despite the release this month of several books I had been eagerly awaiting. Things at my job have been busier than usual, my kids have kept me hopping, and Halloween and Hurricane Sandy made the end of the month rather interesting. Nonetheless, my book count did keep growing, and this month, my favorite book was quite an easy decision.

Books Read - 10 
Books Read To Date - 121
Total Pages Read - 46,441
Favorite Book of the Month - The Crimson Crown (Seven Realms #4)

The Crimson Crown was one of the books that I had pre-ordered so that I could start it the day it came out. I've made no secret about how much I love Cinda Williams Chima and the epic stories she writes. The Seven Realms series is one of my most favorite series of all time, and I was more than excited to see how it was all going to end. Excited and a little sad, because when I read the last word, I realized that this series I've enjoyed so much had finally come to a close. Bummer. But, hey - it was definitely fun while it lasted!

August Book Report

August was such a fun month! I lost my book signing virginity by attending not one, but TWO multi-author signings! Needless to say, my book collection has grown exponentially in just one month. Definitely a good thing. In between schmoozing with famous authors, working and mothering, I still managed to read a lot of books!

Books Read - 12
Books Read To Date - 97
Total Pages Read - 37,217
Favorite Book of the Month - Until I Die (Revenants #2)

I have to add a caveat to this month's book report. I re-read three books early in August - Obsidian, Half-Blood and Pure - in preparation for reading the next books in the Lux and Covenant series. Since I read them in the spring, I didn't post a second review for them. But, technically, I did read them, so I included them in my totals. I'm almost at 100!

My favorite book this month was Until I Die (Revenants #2). I read both Revenants books in August, and I loved them both. They were so different from what I usually read - it was a nice treat. And the story, characters and setting were so alive and exciting, I couldn't get enough. It will be a long, impatient wait until the final book in the series is released in May 2013.

May Book Report

Oh my, but this was a GREAT month for good books! We had two 5-star books, three 4.5-star books, and three brand news ones that I was able to read almost immediately. It was very exciting! Let's break it down.

Books Read - 11
Books Read To Date - 62
Total Pages Read - 24,138
Favorite Book of the Month - Obsidian

Among all those good books this month, you'd think it would be hard to pick a favorite. It actually was pretty easy. Over the month of May, I've developed a thing for Jennifer L. Armentrout. I read three of them, plus a novella, and I'm eagerly anticipating all the sequels coming up. My favorite book of hers that I've read was Obsidian. It was such a fantastic story! It was my first alien book, and I was skeptical at first, but was won over almost immediately. I now find myself recommending all of her books to all my bookish friends. Have you read Jennifer L. Armentrout's books yet???

April Book Report

This was a month for love! I completed two installments of one of my favorite series, the Black Dagger Brotherhood, plus all three Fifty Shades books in April.

Books Read - 12
Books Read To Date - 51
Total Pages Read - 19,948
Favorite Book of the Month - Fifty Shades Darker

I read several books that I deemed were 5-star-worthy this month, but one stood out as more 5-stary than the rest. The entire Fifty Shades series absolutely blew me away. I'll try to spare you from all the gushing (I'm sure you got enough of that in my reviews for each book) again. But, of all the books I've ever read, these three are among the best. And, of the three in the series, the middle book, Fifty Shades Darker, is my favorite. So much is revealed and accomplished. I laughed. I cried. I swore. Ahhh. THAT is good literature.  

March Book Report

Wow - another month down. Hard to believe March is now gone and spring is here. I had a good month full of good books!

Books Read - 16
Books Read To Date - 39
Total Pages Read - 15,217
Favorite Book of the Month - Dark Lover


Picking my favorite book of the month was really hard this month. I had it narrowed down between Delirium, Hush Hush, Dark Lover and Bloodlines. I decided to go with Dark Lover because it's the only adult book in the mix, and lately all the teen angst is starting to get to me. Don't get me wrong - I'm definitely a YA fan through and through. But, I think even the biggest YA fan needs a break from them from time to time. Thankfully, I've discovered the Black Dagger Brotherhood series, and those books are just what the doctor ordered when the emo love triangles start to grate on the nerves.

February Book Report

Because of varying annoyances that have kept me from blogging for a week or more - sickness, busy work schedule, kids - my February book report is long overdue.

Books Read - 11
Books Read To Date - 23
Total Pages Read - 9,314
Favorite Book of the Month - City of Glass


My pick for favorite of the month was actually rather easy this time. I loved City of Glass. It was so rewarding to see Jace and Clary finally end up together. I don't see how any of the final three books in the series could be as good.

I've always had a passion for reading. I can remember devouring my mom's old Nancy Drew books when I was in grade school. Then, I moved on to Sweet Valley High. The day my order from the Scholastic Book Club came in was better than a field trip day. I see a lot of those qualities in my own daughter now, and I love that about her.

Most of the books I read, I borrow from the library. An obsession this big could be expensive if I bought every book I read. I actually belong to two libraries so that my selection is a big bigger. I always try to borrow to my Kindle first, but Kindle lending is just getting off the ground, so the selection kinda stinks. I currently have nine books out. It's a lot - I know. I probably won't finish all of them before the lending period is up. But, I'd rather get them and renew them instead of waiting until I'm ready to read something specific, and it's already checked out. Man - that's irritating. In any case, I have a full complement of books to ensure that my March book report is just as interesting.

January Book Report

January has come and gone and when I reflect back, I wonder how I did it.

Books Read - 12
Books Read To Date - 12
Total Pages Read - 5,104
Favorite Book of the Month - Clockwork Prince

Picking my favorite book for the month was hard. It was between Clockwork Prince, The Iron Daughter, and The Iron Queen. These three books have several things in common - a wonderfully written world, strong women, loss and heartbreak, and a heart-wrenching love story. They're the reason I read like I do. But, ultimately, it was Will's, Jem's and Tessa's story in Clockwork Prince that kept me up very late at night and thinking about them long after I closed the book.

Many ask me how I find time to do it all - to work full time, take care of my home and family, and read as much as I do. The first answer to that question is rather simple - I read fast. I always have. Sometimes I find myself skimming the little words in between the big words (figuratively), but I still always grasp the meaning between them. It's a gift - what can I say?

I also steal reading time whenever I can - while stirring a pot of spaghetti sauce, folding laundry, or snuggling with the kids while they watch Dora. And, to keep myself from shopping at lunchtime, I stay in my office and read a good book instead. Much easier on my gas tank as well.

And, finally, I tend to stay up way too late more nights than I should.

I just love to read. Books take me places I can never go. Show me things that don't exist. They paint pictures in my head better than the TV ever could. I don't understand people who don't read. What imagination could they have? If you don't read, yet are reading these words, I'm encouraged. Perhaps some of these pithy words will encourage you to open the pages of a world you could only... well, imagine.